FIJ
Four states — Imo, Taraba, Anambra and Cross River — allocated more funds to their governors’ offices in their 2024 budgets than the total revenue they generated in 2023, FIJ has found.
This finding comes from an analysis comparing the 2023 revenue documented in the States IGR Report by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) with the planned 2024 expenditures for these states.
FIJ recently reported how 25 states including Imo, Anambra, Taraba and Cross River had performed below their expected revenue targets in the 2023 fiscal year.
| State | 2023 Governor’s Office Projected Revenue (₦) | 2023 Governor’s Office Actual Revenue (₦) | 2023 Total State Revenue (₦) | 2023 Governor’s Office Budget (₦) | 2023 Governor’s Office Actual Spending (₦) | 2024 Governor’s Office Budget (₦) | 2024 Projected Total Revenue (₦) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Imo | 27.31 billion | 278 million | 21.05 billion | 34.46 billion | 57.4 billion | 45.16 billion | 10.43 billion |
| Taraba | 5.03 billion | 67 million | 10.87 billion | 18.44 billion | 10.4 billion | 16.8 billion | 1.6 billion |
| Anambra | 4.77 million | 1.17 million | 33.46 billion | 24.8 billion | 11.45 billion | 34.57 billion | 33.46 billion |
| Cross River | 75 million | 69.8 million | 31.56 billion | 64.59 billion | 21.82 billion | 53.39 billion | 31.56 billion |
IMO STATE
Imo leads the pack in big spending mismatches. The state government plans to spend N45.4 billion in the offices of the executive governor and deputy governor alone, despite a total state revenue of N21.05 billion in 2023.
In 2023, these offices were expected to generate N27.31 billion in revenue but they only managed N278 million. About N57.4 billion was spent by both offices in 2023, way above the projected N34 billion. Essentially, the governor’s offices outshot their projected spending in 2023 yet underperformed in revenue.
The total expected revenue from the governor and deputy governor’s offices in 2024 is just N10.43 billion. By June, these offices had spent N17 billion out of the N45 billion they budgeted for the 2024 fiscal year.
TARABA STATE
Taraba has a similar situation to Imo. Despite realising just about N10.8 billion in 2023, the governor’s office and the deputy governor’s office had originally budgeted to spend N16.8 billion in its running in the 2024 fiscal year. This budget was revised and adjusted to N35.67 billion.
Per the state’s budget, the governor’s office had hoped to make N5.03 billion in 2023. But by the third quarter of the 2023 fiscal year, it had only realised N67 million.
Yet, the office spent N10.4 billion out of its budgeted N18.44 billion in the same year. For 2024, the office is projected to generate only N1.6 billion in revenue. By the third quarter of 2024, the office had spent about N11 billion out of its budget.
ANAMBRA STATE
Charles Soludo’s Anambra earned N33.46 billion in total revenue for 2023 but plans to spend N34.57 billion on the governor and deputy governor’s offices in 2024.
Last year, they projected N4.77 million in revenue for the governor’s office but only brought in N1.17 million. Out of about N24 billion the governor’s office planned to spend in the 2023 fiscal year, it managed to spend N11.45 billion.
Essentially, the governor’s office underperformed on both the revenue and expenditure sides in 2023.
According to Anambra’s 2024 budget, the governor’s office is projected to earn about N1 million in the entire 2024. By the end of the third quarter, these states have spent about N15 billion to run the governor’s office in 2024.
CROSS RIVER STATE
For 2024, Cross River plans to allocate N53.39 billion to the ‘government house’, though its total revenue for 2023 was just N31.56 billion.
However, the government house is accommodating about 20 other agencies in the state. Out of these 20 however, only two — the Due Process and Price Intelligence Bureau (DPPID) and the Border Community Development Commission (BCDC) — are projected to generate any income in 2024.
In 2023, the ‘government house’ managed to realise N69.8 million out of its N75 million revenue target. Similarly, it spent only N21.82 billion out of its N64.59 billion in the same year.
Revenue projections for the government house are not that promising in 2024. Except it exceeds its target, the government house would only generate N77 million this year.
By the end of the second quarter, the government house had spent about N20 billion of its N53.39 billion budget.
This imbalance between revenue and the governor’s office spending raises concerns about priorities in state budgets. In states with tight budgets, funnelling billions into the governor’s office could mean fewer funds for essentials such as healthcare, schools and roads.
THIS STORY FIRST APPEARED IN FIJ
